Multicultural peer education is based on the premise that effective change occurs most consistently when people have opportunities to develop respectful relationships. Our multicultural peer educators (MPEs) are specially trained Holy Cross student volunteers who assist in programming, work with staff and residence assistants, and informally engage other students on topics of diversity. MPEs are committed to:
- Opening up people’s minds and hearts by their own examples.
- Championing the belief that human differences matter.
- Educating themselves and their peers about the most honest and effective ways of openly discussing human differences.
- Encouraging others to share their stories – and to reach out and form genuine relationships.
How can we learn to listen better, speak more openly and honestly, and develop real and genuine relationships with each other? When it comes to our human differences, the College of the Holy Cross actively engages in confronting silence and segregation on campus. The Multicultural Peer Educators (MPEs) in the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion promote affirmation, awareness and action as the fundamental means to changing ourselves, our campus culture, and the larger society to be more understanding and inclusive of differences as we work for social justice.
We all deserve better! In the MPE program students develop cultural dexterity skills via:
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Working on issues of trust building through the use of supportive, active, reflective, and confidential listening skills
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Working together across lines of race, class, gender, sexual orientation, religion, ability, etc., to develop leadership skills that challenge the silence and segregation that are so much a normal part of life on campus
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Challenging themselves and others to examine both personal and Holy Cross norms and values regarding diversity, and to search for a common understanding
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Networking locally with consortium colleges, and nationally via CHAS, SJTI, and NJSLC conferences and training institutes
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Collaborating with OLs, RAs, and MSOs to offer programming throughout the academic year
MPEs acquire skills at developing open lines of communication and genuine relationships across human differences and become:
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Better prepared to provide leadership in an increasingly global community
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More capable of developing and sustaining healthy personal relationships
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More attractive to future employers in the global marketplace, having studied and worked with multicultural issues and been a leader in developing cross-cultural relationships
To schedule a training or workshop with the MPEs contact officeofdiversity@holycross.edu.